PENDER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – North Carolina averages about one human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, a mosquito-borne virus, each year, but the Pender County Health Department wants residents to protect themselves from the potentially deadly disease.

The viral illness attacks the central nervous system, causes inflammation of the brain and can be fatal to animals and humans, according to a news release from the Health Department.

Here are some tips from the Pender County Health Department to make homes and yards less mosquito friendly:

• Keep grass short, and remove plants that attract animals like deer and rodents;
• Pour out any standing water, and remove any containers that can hold water, such as, barrels, tires, old cans, and wading pools;
• Keep gutters clean and in good repair;
• Repair leaky outdoor faucets and change the water in bird baths and pet bowls at least twice a week;
• Check window and door screens;
• Avoid outdoor activities during peak mosquito biting hours (from one hour before to one hour after dusk and dawn); and
• Wear long pants, shoes, socks, and long-sleeved shirts if outdoors around twilight.

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – WIC Outreach sites in Pender County will be closed until September, according to a post on the Pender County Government website.

The sites are in Currie, Hampstead and Penderlea.

Anyone with a WIC appointment at these sites is asked to call the Burgaw office for a new appointment at 910-259-1290.

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